Politics

Coalition members are jokers-TUC boss rejects ADC.

Published by Akinwale Fakinlede on August 8th, 2025.

Ahead of the 2027 elections, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) Festus Osifo, has rejected the opposition Coalition of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

Osifo also described the coalition members — including former Vice President, former Senate President, and ex-Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi as “a bunch of jokers.”

Speaking during an interview Wednesday’s edition of TUC Half Hour, a programme aired on Channels Television, the Labour leader said,: “For us in the TUC, we are not part of the coalition. If you look at it, we have been having the same story over and again since democracy returns to Nigeria from 1999 to date. Yet, we have not been better off for it.

“Remember that sometime in 2013, there was a congregation where we were told these are messiahs and the people sent to lead Nigerians to El Dorado. That gave birth to APC and the PDP was kicked out in 2015 for President Muhammadu Buhari to be elected. Most of them are the same actors in the ADC today.

“Now that we have President (Bola) Tinubu there, the same people are congregating again. They are old players in new packaging. All we need are people who can take risks and restructure the entire country.”

He challenged the credibility of the coalition’s leadership, questioning their past performances.

“What has been the track record of the people leading the so-called coalition? You have someone who was vice president for eight years. What has he done? You have another who has been Senate president for eight years and chairman of the National Assembly.

So the question is: for that eight years that he was there, what did he do to influence good laws that could have transformed the entire country? Nothing. Then you have the former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi in that coalition. These are all jokers, I dare to say.”

According to him, Nigerians should instead focus on prioritising electoral reforms over political alliances.

The TUC president also urged the masses to look beyond recycled politicians

“I think for Nigerians to take back their country, it is not with these failed politicians. Yes, there may be persons there who have actually led the light in the past, they are not more than one or two.

“I think what Nigerians should focus on is how to bring about an electoral reform where one vote will be for one man and a situation where results will not be written. That is what Nigerians should be interested in today,” he stated.

Osifo noted that despite claims of GDP growth, citizens continue to grapple with inflation, job insecurity, and poor wages.